Saladu Nebbe (Black-Eyed Pea Salad With Tomatoes and Cucumbers)

Saladu Nebbe (Black-Eyed Pea Salad With Tomatoes and Cucumbers)

Black-eyed peas are a common sight in West African cooking, stewed long until tender or turned into fritters like àkàrà. They’re also a staple ingredient in the American South, where they’re commonly eaten on New Year’s Day as a symbol of good luck for the year to come. The chef Isaiah Screetch’s saladu nebbe, based on the Senegalese dish of the same name, highlights the nuttiness of the beans in a fresh salad that has a bit of spice thanks to serrano chiles. Studded with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers and red bell pepper, the recipe calls for letting the salad meld its flavors together in a lime dressing for two hours, but it can also sit overnight, making it the perfect side dish for a barbecue or cookout.

Yield: 8 cups

1 cup finely chopped curly parsley

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 

¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 2 or 3 limes) 

2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed (about 3 cups) 

5 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup cherry or Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 English cucumber, halved, seeded and finely chopped

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, combine parsley, olive oil and lime juice; whisk until emulsified.

Add the black-eyed peas, scallions, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, shallot and serrano chiles to the bowl. Toss to thoroughly combine and coat in the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Stir the salad to ensure the dressing is evenly incorporated before serving.

TIP: When I prepare this again I will reverse the olive oil and lime juice measurements to 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup lime juice. Olive oil at 1/2 cup thickly coats everything and pools in the bottom of the bowl and lime juice is nearly imperceptible at the original measures.

You could also start with boiling dried black-eyed peas, since black-eyed peas cook really fast (no soaking required). A good way to control the amount of salt.

Given food restrictions, omitted lime juice and chiles but with a very light EVOO this was great with the other ingredients, a bit of juice from a few tomatoes and diced raw zucchini instead of red peppers (also restricted). For us, no need for s/p. Next time might throw in a second herb and red onion and would then let it sit longer. A great use of b.e.p., home cooked or canned, as a light supper with cornbread, corn or the cob or, to mix things up, grilled pita or a traditional flatbread.